


Light 'em Up

by smoothmovebro



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Human, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-05
Updated: 2015-07-05
Packaged: 2018-04-07 18:36:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4273752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smoothmovebro/pseuds/smoothmovebro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A storm causes a power outage in Dean Winchester's apartment complex. Somebody decided to stay over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Light 'em Up

**Author's Note:**

> Originally a gift for a friend.

When all the lights in Dean Winchester’s apartment went out during a storm, he heard loud crashing and shuffling from the apartment above him. A set of steps hurriedly descended the stairs (which his apartment happened to be adjacent of). There was an impatient knock on his door.

Dean’s phone lit the path towards the doorway. He peered into the peephole, looking for any sign of who’s on the other side. Obviously that was a stupid idea since _all the lights are out_ so he couldn’t see the person at his door. He may have been living in the building for over 4 years but he didn’t really get to know any of his neighbours.

This could be the universe telling him to make some friends.

He opened the door and he caught a glimpse of the outline of the person in front of him after a brief flash of lightning. Definitely male-shaped, about his height, dark hair a little mussed. He could barely make out a face, and the only thing he could see under the dim light of the evening are blue eyes. Blue eyes that darted around nervously after the sound of thunder ringing across the building.

“Can you please help me?” the voice belonging to the stranger pleaded. The stranger’s voice was deep and gravelly. Dean didn’t have to know what his neighbour looked like; he’s pretty sure he was looking at an attractive man, if his voice is anything to go by. And when it comes to attractive men, Dean loses the flirty air he usually has with the ladies and becomes an awkward mess. He was eternally grateful that his neighbour can’t see the blush he feels coming on to his face.

“What do you want?” he managed to say without stuttering. The response he got was more unexpected than ridiculous.

“Can I stay with you until the power comes back on?”

Dean cleared his throat. He doesn’t get visitors often, only his brother Sam that drops by every now and then from law school to check in on him. This is the first time he let anyone who isn’t family in his apartment. The only thing filling the silence was the perpetual rain pelting down on the window. The air between him and his neighbour was getting awkward so he decided to reply.

“Why?” Dean asked.

A clap of thunder roared outside the building. He could hear his neighbour shuffle his feet. “I just don’t want to be alone at night in the middle of a power outage.”

Wait, is this guy… _afraid of the dark_? Dean almost laughed at the notion. A fully-grown man with a manly voice and the bluest eyes—goddammit, they’re so _blue_ —who has a fear of the dark? Oh, screw it. If it meant spending some time with an attractive person, Dean would even help this guy with their laundry.

“Okay,” Dean said slowly. “If I’m gonna let you crash in my pad, I gotta know what to call you.”

“My name is Castiel Novak. I’m from the apartment above yours and yes, I’ll admit it, I am a grown man with a fear of the dark. Would you be my kind host and let me stay in your apartment until the power outage is taken care of?”

Dean was taken aback by his neighbours—Castiel’s—politeness. “Okay, Cas, can I call you Cas?” Castiel replied with a noncommittal noise. “Well, I’m Dean Winchester and yes, I’ll let you crash in my place until this blows over. I still think your fear of the dark is a little… unusual, that’s all.”

“I apologise. I’ve tried to get over it but it somehow never went away.” There was something more that Cas wasn’t telling. Dean decided not to pry too much, he wouldn’t want anyone confronting him about his fears.

“Fair enough,” Dean said. “Come in.”

He heard Cas walk past him and he could faintly smell his soap. It smelled clean and homey, a scent almost familiar to Dean. He closed the door and used his phone’s flashlight to help Cas find his way to the couch. Dean’s apartment wasn’t too large, his living room had enough space for a couple of visitors to sit on the couch and watch a game with but it wasn’t anything grand.

Cas sat on the sofa and Dean asked if wanted a beer. “I’d rather not drink,” Cas replied. “Never really liked beer, anyway.”

Dean shrugged and went to the kitchen to grab a cold one. He carefully made his way to the sofa, making sure he doesn’t bump into any furniture. He sat on the other side of where Cas was sitting, the distance between them more than an arm’s length.

The two spend almost companionable silence when Cas asked the most out of place question.

“You come here often?”

Dean blinked. He knew Cas wouldn’t be able to see that but he should definitely be able to sense that the Really Weird Question made no sense.

“Um, I live here?” he said slowly.

Cas laughed. “Yeah, I know that. Sorry, I’m just trying to make conversation.”

Dean could hear faint shuffling from Cas. “You really don’t like the dark, do ya?”

“Yes,” Cas admitted. “I probably got it from my childhood, when my older brothers would tell me stories about how fearful creatures roamed the darkness and that if I don’t do what they say, the creatures would get me.” Lightning briefly illuminated the room. “Funny thing is that my brothers would tell those stories in nights like these, where a storm causes all the lights to go out.”

Dean whistled. “Damn, I’m an older brother and even I wouldn’t torture Sammy like that.”

“Sammy?”

“My kid brother. He’s in law school now and he checks up on me sometimes.”

“Law school… Did you go to college?”

“Me? Nah, it was never really my thing. I just went in the family business with my dad. He needs all the help he can get.”

Dean took a swig of his bottle while Cas talked. “Ah, such a shame. You never went through the _experimenting stage_ most college students would go through. I was an exceptional student when I was in college. I was also exceptional in bed.”

The sound of beer being spat out filled the room. “Too much, man. Too much information,” Dean choked out. He cleared his throat. “And just because you went to college doesn’t mean you’re the only one who got all the action.”

He heard Cas shift in his seat. “Oh, really?” His voice sounded closer to Dean, like he was leaning towards him. “Do tell.”

Dean gulped. He didn’t know what Cas actually looks like under proper lighting but he still felt nervous around him. There was something in his voice that told him that he could be trusted. That he would always listen and be there for him. Remembering what he was going to say, he scrabbled in his memories for any escapades he had with the ladies. Ladies specifically because he wasn’t sure if the guy even swings that way.

The rain pouring set the mood for their exchange. Dean felt like he was at a sleepover with a friend, telling stories to each other at night, their home protecting them from the awful weather outside. He felt a little warmer on the inside.

Dean told Cas stories of his night life, when he would go to bars and get some, if Cas caught his drift. He told him about winning billiard games against douchebags so that the women hanging off their arm who clearly didn’t want to be there are spared from whatever they might do to them. He made sure that he left out stories of one-night stands with guys when he was feeling that he wanted something rough that night. Because the more he talked to Cas, the more he wanted that something rough.

There's something in the dark that reveals something about a person. In the dark, nobody cares what you look like, only what you have to say. There is power in the dark, when you can scare a man out of his wits or cocoon him in the welcoming void, protecting him from what’s out there in the light. Cas thought that although the dark was something he’d like to avoid as much as he could, he found himself willing to be in it if it meant that the man sitting on the other side of the couch would keep telling stories, comforting him with his words and his tales. Dean finished his beer and put down the bottle beside the couch.

“That actually doesn’t sound too bad,” Cas said. “So, besides being sexy, what do you do for a living?”

Dean coughed. He’s known Cas for less than an hour and he’s pulling this type of gig on him? He’s not sure if Cas is trying to flirt with him or annoy him. If Cas wanted to play this game with him, he should have something to retaliate with.

“How would you know that I’m sexy? You don’t even know what I look like.” There was a shift of fabric from Cas’ side, he was inching closer towards Dean in the couch.

“Well, I don’t have to see to know what you look like. Blind people touch the faces of the people they meet so they know what they look like. This is a similar situation.”

Dean felt Cas shift closer. “Will you let me touch your face?”Cas asked.

 _I’ll even let you fuck me if you keep going at this rate,_ Dean thought. “Sure, why not? Be careful with the glasses, though,” he said instead.

“You wear glasses? I’m starting to think you’re a teacher or something. Will you see me after school for that _extra credit_?” he said with a suggestive tone in the last few words.

Dean scoffed. “You know, keep on going like that and I just might kick you out,” he warned.

He felt Cas get off the sofa to crouch in front of Dean. He was mere inches from his face and he felt hands cradle his face. Cas’ touch was soft, warm, and tentative. His hands came up to lightly outline the shape of Dean’s glasses. His fingers ran through Dean’s hair, towards the back of his head, and came back around to Dean’s face. One of Cas’ hands lightly touched his nose while the other traced the shape and curve of his lips. This light but intimate contact between them sparked something between them, something Dean couldn’t place. He knew the guy was doing this to take his mind off the fact that it was dark and all the lights are out. He provided any and all comfort he could give to Cas, if it meant that this guy he was strangely attracted to would spend more time with him.

Cas’ hands were off him and Dean sighed at the loss of contact. “I’ve felt your face,” Cas said, “and my assumptions were correct: you’re a work of art.”

“Yep, that’s it,” Dean declared. He grabbed Cas’ face and kissed him. Kissed him with the annoyance he felt for his one-liners. Kissed him with the pent-up sexual tension he had for his deep voice. Kissed him in the hopes that he would kiss back.

And kiss back he did.

Cas was gentle at first, unsure if Dean wanted this. The other man huffed a breath in impatience and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. He relished the feel of Dean’s lips, how soft and kissable they looked when he first saw him when at his doorway. He felt so lucky to have picked the apartment that Dean happened to live in. His one-liners might not have been the best way to get to Dean but it was better than nothing. It was nice to hear him talk about his life, and it was amusing how he always picked stories in which he went after women, like he was being cautious about whether or not Cas would appreciate stories where he pursued men. He was glad that Dean got a hold of himself and took what he wanted instead of pussyfooting around (no pun intended). He didn’t mind, since he’s also attracted to men.

A bright flash of light interrupted them and Cas pulled away first. He blinked his eyes to adjust to the light and found that the power came back on. He could now see Dean properly. He could now see how red his neighbour’s lips were after being kissed, how the green of his eyes were now a faint sliver from how much his pupils have dilated. Cas cherished the sight before him. How he managed to make out with a guy like Dean was beyond him, but he was thankful.

“There isn’t a word in the dictionary to describe how beautiful you are,” Cas breathed.

Dean felt his face heat up. He rubbed the back of his neck, searching for something to say. “So, uh, you still wanna do this?”

Cas gave him a wicked smile. “Your place or mine?”

Dean shrugged. “We’re already here anyway,” he said as he took Cas’ hand in his. “I’ll show you to the bedroom,” he said with a wink.


End file.
